Organized
and operated as a regiment based in the Uhtaa
subsector of Reavers' Deep, the Teahleikhoi
regiment (loosely translatable as "Soldiers of the Falling Night" or
"Knights of the Setting Sun") is fairly typical of mercenary units
that are found in the Hierate. The
corporation controlling the unit was organized some 150 years ago by an
unmarried female of the lyhlua clan, and has maintained continuity through a
series of handpicked successors to this day. The current owner, lyhli, is a
distant relative of the founder. Like all of the corporation's senior
executives, she will hold her post until she dies or is married; at that time,
her own chosen successor will take charge of the business.
The regiment proper is set up to handle a variety of situations and
circumstances, from formal clan wars within the Hierate to operations without
rules outside the Aslan sphere of influence. Ships
supplied by Larleaftea Hryawaorwya,
the prominent shipbuilding firm, are essential to the unit's operations, giving
the regiment flexible interstellar mobility and control and support at the scene
of battle.
The regiment can mount operations of any size that may be required, from actions involving a single company up to the commitment of the entire regiment. There are thirteen ships available to the unit - nine Eiaikeiar Intruder Transports for company-level transportation, three Tleiatre Battle Leaders for command and control purposes, and a large regimental command ship of 5,000 tons equipped to coordinate large-scale operations. This last ship can carry a small fighter squadron and transports various other support units as required when the regiment as a whole is committed in combat.
Recently, the regiment was hired by the Carrillian
Assembly for the invasion of Ildrissar
(Reavers' Deep 2326).
In the discussions that follow, this regiment will be examined in greater
detail. It is typical of any regiment-sized mercenary forces employed by the
Aslan, though there are many variations from one unit to the next. Even the
composition of the Teahleikhoi regiment itself has varied in the past, as it has
adapted to a variety of changing circumstances. Through it all, though, one
essential fact has remained unchanged. The regiment is still Teahleikhoi, with
history, traditions, and honor unchanged over a century and a half of warfare in
and out of the Hierate. That fact is a proud tradition for the soldiers of the
regiment to bear.
Regimental Organization
The regiment is responsible to the owner and her assistants. She normally
travels with regimental headquarters (along with a small retinue); when the full
regiment is not employed, the owner appoints agents to travel with and supervise
each smaller unit which is being employed independently. The owner or her agent,
by and large, do not interfere in the workings of the unit being accompanied.
However, they provide the ultimate authority in all business decisions, and
sometimes will intervene in operations when they feel that the owner's best
interests are threatened by a proposed action. It is the owner and her staff who
deal with negotiating contracts and tickets, and otherwise supervising business
and financial matters for the mercenary unit.
Regimental headquarters, including not only the senior officers of the unit but
also the fighter squadron, regimental artillery, and other supporting units, are
carried on board a 5,000 ton regimental transport. This ship is rarely
encountered; when it is employed, it remains in a position of relative safety to
coordinate regimental activities. Since it is so infrequently met, further
details of this ship are not important in this discussion. If referees are
interested in the ship, they should feel free to develop it on their own, using
the rules from High Guard.
The regiment is commanded by a Colonel, an Aslan male of high social level. The
colonel leads the unit in combat, making tactical decisions and fighting
alongside his troops on the field. He is backed up by a large staff of female
officers, who handle various aspects of supply, intelligence, administration,
strategic and operational planning, and other work for which the males are
temperamentally unsuited. Between battles, it is the female Regimental Executive
Officer who actually runs the unit on a day-to-day basis. She has considerable
authority, practically equal to that exercised by the colonel himself.
Regimental headquarters also includes a Fleet Commodore (male) and Fleet Exec
(female), officers with naval experience who coordinate the movements of the
starships attached to the unit. The Fleet Commodore is subordinate to the
Colonel in rank, but may appeal to the Owner for release from ground control on
certain rare occasions - when, in his view, the ships are threatened if they
remain under orders from ground-based personnel. His Exec is in charge of all
non-combat squadron procedures and operations.
The regiment is employed as a whole only on infrequent missions. In most cases, a Battle Group (two or more companies under a Group Commander on board one of the unit's Battle Leaders) or even a single Intruder Transport carrying a reinforced company, will operate independently. When this is done, the owner appoints a representative to oversee the detachments activities. This individual is in addition to the personnel normally serving on board the ship; her presence may displace the ship's officers in order to provide extra cabin space. When this happens, it usually causes the ship's Exec to share quarters with one of the other female officers aboard.